Goodison Park: Everton v Burnley (Wednesday 1st November 2023)

Carabao Cup action on Merseyside as Everton took on Burnley on Wednesday night at Goodison Park
The Toffees’ Premier League is slowly kicking into gear after a very slow start to the campaign. Recent crucial wins at Brentford and West Ham. Including a win at home to Bournemouth between the two has lifted Everton out of the relegation zone. Last time out at the London Stadium, Dominic Calvert-Lewin delivered the goods and scored the winning goal. Everton looking like a transformed team when he is fit and firing.
Meanwhile for Burnley, it has been a tricky return to the Premier League with just one win (away to Luton Town) and a draw against the eight losses so far as the Clarets are firmly in the relegation battle. Vincent Kompany’s style of play hasn’t quite clicked in the top division as it did in the Championship last season.
On the night and the Toffees started on the front foot. Lumping balls up to Calvert-Lewin in true Sean Dyche style. Within a quarter of an hour, Everton were 1 up, a recycled free kick with a long hall aimed at Amadou Onana get cleared and comes out to Dwight McNeil on the left side who delivers a lovely ball into his former Burnley teammate James Tarkowski to head towards the left corner and leave Muric in the Burnley goal static.
Not a whole lot of clear cut chances but Everton continuing to be effective with the long balls into Calvert-Lewin. For Burnley they continued to stick to their morals but not overly troubling Pickford in the Everton goal, with the exception of some good play on the counter, Vitinho cutting inside and from just outside the box playing a ball through to Jacob Bruun Larsen and from a tight angle find Pickford in close proximity. Eventually the ball is out for a corner.
Into the second half and Everton continue to be on the front foot and on 53 minutes they double their lead. From a corner, Tarkowski heads down towards a dangerous area we’re Calvert-Lewin and Onana are waiting with the Belgian slotting away from a matter of yards.
My big concern watching the game was the continuation of patience and playing the possession game with no real end product from Burnley. Surely once you go goals down in a game you would perhaps change style or be more aggressive but unfortunately nothing changed.
On 68 minutes, Sean Dyche changed his front two with Calvert-Lewin and Danjuma being replaced by Doucoure and Beto. The Brazilian perhaps lacking some sharpness at the early stage in his Everton career but there’s no doubting his determination. Into added time and Beto was strong on the left wing against Al Dakhil, somehow continuing to find space as he runs along the by line, laying it off onto a plate for Ashley Young as Everton absolutely wrap up the game in stoppage time.
A comfortable game for Sean Dyche against his former side as Everton to through to the Quarter Final of the Carabao Cup. For Burnley, the hope of a break from the misery that has has been the Premier League season didn’t occur with more frustration and disappointment for the Clarets’ fans.